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(No Model.) 2 Sheets-Sheet 1.

W. 0. JOHNSTON. ADVERTISING DEVICE.

No. 509,473. Patented Nov. 28, 1893.

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(No- Model.) 7 2 Sheets--Sheet 2. W. G. JOHNSTON. ADVERTISING DEVIGB.

No. 509 Patented Nov. 28, 1893 we mmomu. umowuvnmc coin/my,

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NITED ST TES PATENT OFFICE.

WILLIAM G. JOHNSTON, OF LINCOLN, ILLINOIS, ASSIGNOR OF ONE-I-IALF TOSAMUEL H. MARTIN, OF SAME PLACE.

ADVERTISING DEVICE.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 509,473,:1ated November28, 1893.

Application filed January 10, 1893. Serial No. 457,945. (No model.)

To all whom it may concern.-

Be it known that I, WILLIAM C. JOHNSTON, a citizen of the United States,residing at Lincoln, in the county of Logan and State of Illinois, haveinvented a new and useful Advertising Device, of which the following isa specification.

My invention relates to an advertising device; and the objects in Vieware to provide a device or structure in the design of a desk to beemployed in hotels, restaurants, post offices, and other public placeswherein the public are wont to write; to so construct the said desk asto present to the view of the writer or, if desired, to anyone in rearof the desk, a series of advertising cards or signs; and furthermore, toprovide a mechanism and a bell to be struck and sounded thereby, whichmechanism is actuated or set in motion by the Weight of the arm of theperson writing, thereby calling to his attention, and the generalpublic, a card or sign that will simultaneously appear with the ringingof the bell, which card will bear such symbols or words as to direct theattention of the observer to the series of advertising cards or signsadjacent thereto.

With these objects in view, the invention consists in certain featuresof construction hereinafter specified and particularly pointed out inthe claims.

Referring to the drawings: Figure 1 is a perspective view of anadvertising device. Fig. 2 is a rear view, the back plate removed. Fig.3 is a vertical longitudinal sectional view. Fig. 4 is a detail inperspective of the internal mechanism removed from the frame. Fig. 5 isa transverse sectional view.

Similar numerals of reference indicate the same parts in all thefigures.

In practicing my invention, as before stated, I preferably arrange theadvertising device within a desk, and in this instance, the aforesaiddesk comprises the opposite sides 1, the tops or upper edges of whichpreferably slant slightly toward their front ends, the front cross-piece2, and at the rear end of the desk the head-piece 3. The sides 1 areconnected at their lower edges by atransverse base-bar 4, and mountedupon the sides, but held out of contact therewith, is a desk top 5.

To the inner faces of the two end-bars 2 and 3, slightly above thebase-bar 4, is secured a pair of transverse metal strips or rest-bars 6,whose extremities are slightly bent or offset from their intermediateportions and beveled to form knife-bearing edges 7.

8 designates a pair of levers, which at their rear ends are secured toor formed integral with U-shaped bails 9, whose extremities, upon theirunder sides, are notched, as at 10, to take over the knife-bearings, andin front of the same, upon their upper sides, are provided with notchesor seats 11. Screws 12 are inserted in the side-bars 1, above theseextremities, and serve to retain the terminals of the bails upon theirbearings. The inner ends of the before-mentioned lovers 8 lie adjacentto each other within the center of the frame and are provided atreversely-opposite sides with bearing-studs 13. Links let depend fromthe bearing-studs, upon which they are loosely hung, and are embraced bythe inner bifurcated end of a lever 14, which is fulcrumed between itsends upon a bearing-standard 15, seated upon the transverse base-bar 4.The inner end of the said lever 14, as before stated, is bifurcated, andthe said links lie side by side within said bifurcations and are pivotedthereto by a pin 16. The rear end of the lever 14: takes between thebifurcations of a vertically reciprocating bar 17, which is locatedwithin the back wall or head of a desk. The bar 17 has its lower endbifurcated and is pivoted by a pin 18, loosely to the rear end of thelever 14. A keeper19 is secured to the head or back wall of the desk,and in this the bar 17 reciprocates. A shoulder 20 is formed on the rearface of the bar 17, adjacent to its lower end, and a coiled spring 21 ismounted upon a stud 22 projecting from the rear wall at one side of thebar 17, one terminal of said frame resting upon the shoulder of the bar17 while the remaining terminal is bent, as at 23, and is designed toengage any one of a series of concentric perforations 24, formed in theback wall, and by which means the tension of the spring may be increasedor decreased. A bellhammer 25 is loosely supported upon the pin 22,extends transversely over the shoulder of the bar 17, and rests in abracket 26, the said plate 30 having mounted therein a card 31,

upon which may be printed or otherwise produced a symbol, as a hand, anarrow, or other means calculated to direct the attention of the publicto certain advertising matter lo-' cated adjacent thereto and in amanner hereinafter described. In the present instance, however, thewords printed on the card are as follows: Please read. adds below, alsoother side. At opposite sides of the headboard or rear wall 3 glasscases 32 are in this instance provided, and these cases contain spacesfor advertising cards, or may be otherwise adapted for the reception ofadvertising matter. The cases are spaced apart and between them islocated the mechanism on the back of the desk, the cards 31 appearingabove the cases, as will be obvious.

33 designates the desk top, and the same is provided with metalcross-pieces 34, from the ends of which depend lugs 35, the edges ofwhichare beveled to form knife-bearings, and the same rest upon or takewithin the notches 11 of the bails 9. L-shaped keepers 36 depend fromthe under side of the top and take under the said bails in a loosemanner so as not to interfere with their free operation but yet preventa removal of the desk top.

This completes the construction of the device, and the operation thereofis as follows: The device is adapted to be mounted either in astationary or swiveled manner upon a desk or any suitable base, inaccordance with the place it is used, as for instance it might beemployed upon a hotel desk for'the purposeof supporting the registerbook. At any rate, regardless of its position, its operation andfunction are the same, and by it the in-' stant a person rests his armupon the top the;

levers are depressed, rocking on their knifebearings, the inner end ofthe lever 14 is depressed through the medium of the connecting-links,and the bar 17 vertically reciprocated, so that the card 31 is exposedto view above the rear wall of the desk. The sudden,

elevation of the bar 17 brings its shoulder into contact with thebell-hammer rod, elevating the latter,whereby it contacts with andsounds the bell, thus attracting the attention of the person who,glancing up, perceives the card and naturally following the instructionsglances at the advertising matter, and if interested reads the same. Byregulating the spring-terminals 23 in the various openings ordiminished, and this spring is set so that it is just sufficient tomaintain the levers 8 elevated and support a book thereon, so that theslightest touch or increase of weight will counteract the effect of thespring and sound the bell.

I do not limit my invention to the precise details of constructionherein setforth, as

they may be varied by the manufacturer to suit different uses, all ofwhich I claim as being within the scope of my invention.

Having described my invention, what I claim is v 1. The combination witha desk and a lever located within the same, of a desk top supported bythe lever and connected therewith, a reciprocating sign-carrying barconnected with and operated by the lever, a bell, and devices forsounding the bell at each reciproca- 'tion of the bar, substantially asspecified.

2. The combination with a desk, a lever fulcrumed therein, and a topconnected with and supported by one end of the lever, a bell, a hammerfor the same, and devices carried by the lever for actuating the hammer,substantially as specified.

3. The combination with a desk, a lever fulcrumed therein, areciprocating bar mounted in the end walls of the desk and looselyconnected at its lower end to said lever, said bar being adapted at itsupper end to carry a card, a bell located at one side-of the bar, ahammer lever pivoted to the opposite side of the bar, a shoulder mountedon the bar and adapted to strike the hammer lever,a spring for normallydepressing the bar, and a top mounted upon and supported by'the innerend of the lever, substantially as specified.

4.. The combination with a-desk, a lever pivoted therein, and a topconnected with and supported by the inner end of the lever, of a barmounted for sliding upon thehead of the desk and provided with ashoulder, the lower end of the bar being pivoted to the lever, a symbolor sign carried by the upper end of the bar, a spring coiled upon a pinat one side of the bar, one end of'the spring resting upon theshoulderof the bar and the other end bent and adapted to engage any oneof aseries of perforations formed in the. end wall of the desk,substantiallyas specified.

5. The combination with the desk comprising the sides and end walls, thelatter having ad vertising card-receiving cases spaced apart, a leverfulcrumed in the frame and extending at its rear end into thespacebetween the cases, of a top supported by and connected to the leverat the inner end of the latter, a spring for depressing the rearend ofthe lever, and a card'carrying bar-mounted for reciprocation between thecases and connected at its lower end to the rear-end of the lever,substantially as specified.

6. In a desk, the combinationwith the desk body comprising a top, and arear wall or head having an advertising space, of a bell, a sign, 24,the strength of the spring may be increased said front and rear wallsand having their ends ofiset and reduced to form bearings, the U shapedbails having their extremities notched to engage the bearings andprovided at their centers with inwardly-disposed levers or arms, linksdepending from the inner ends of the arms, a lower lever fulcrumed inthe base of the frame and pivoted at its inner end to the links, a tophaving depending lugs red need to form bearin gs engaging the notchesformed in the terminals of the bails, the L- shaped keepers dependingfrom the top and passing under the bails, the front and rear advertisingcases, the keeper on the back of the desk, the rod mounted forreciprocation in the keeper, terminating at its upper end in a plate, aclamping plate and screw mountand above the shoulder thereof andterminating in a head, and a bell located in the path of the hammer,substantially as specified.

In testimony that Iclaim the foregoing as my own I have hereto afiixedmy signature in the presence of two witnesses.

WILLIAM C. JOHNSTON.

Witnesses: or

E. F. L. RAUMBERG, W. R. BALDWIN.

